Ram Jhula

Ram Jhula is a pedestrian suspension bridge slung across the Ganga in the upper reaches of Rishikesh, completed in 1986 and stretching roughly 230 metres (about 750 feet) between the two banks.

• It links the Sivananda Nagar area of Muni Ki Reti, on the Tehri Garhwal side — home to the Sivananda Ashram of the Divine Life Society — with the Swarg Ashram enclave on the Pauri Garhwal side, where Gita Bhawan, Parmarth Niketan and a warren of temples, dharamshalas and satsang halls cluster along the water.
• Broader and sturdier than the older, narrower Lakshman Jhula a couple of kilometres upstream, Ram Jhula was for decades the practical artery of pilgrim Rishikesh, carrying a ceaseless flow of sadhus, yoga students and devotees across the emerald-green river.
• The bridge is an iron cable-suspension span, its walkway swaying gently underfoot as pilgrims, hand-carts and the occasional cow thread across.
• Historically light two-wheelers were permitted, but authorities have progressively restricted motor traffic to protect the ageing structure.
• Following the 2023 two-wheeler ban, the bridge was reported completely closed in 2025 for structural safety and a planned renovation, so pedestrian access should be confirmed locally before visiting rather than assumed.
• The views are the reason to linger: the Ganga running clear and fast between forested Himalayan foothills, ghats stepping down to the water on both banks, and — at dusk — the lamps of the riverside aarti beginning to flicker.
• It is one of the most photographed vantage points in Rishikesh, especially in the golden hour when the light catches the cables and the current together.
• Ram Jhula is less a single monument than a threshold into the spiritual quarter of the city.
• Cross from the Muni Ki Reti side and you step directly into the pedestrian lanes of Swarg Ashram, lined with rudraksha and puja-supply stalls, book shops selling Vedanta and yoga texts, and the famous Ganga aarti at Parmarth Niketan and Triveni Ghat's wider ceremonies within reach.
• The whole area is a holy, strictly vegetarian and alcohol-free zone by local custom and law, so the food around the bridge is dependably pure-veg and often satvik (no onion or garlic).
• For vegetarian and pilgrim travellers this is ideal territory.
• The Chotiwala restaurants and Gita Bhawan's own canteen on the Swarg Ashram side are long-running pure-veg institutions serving thalis, chole-bhature and South Indian tiffin, while German Bakery cafes cater to the international yoga crowd with filter coffee and baked treats.
• When the crossing is open there is no charge to walk across, with early morning quietest and sunset best for the aarti; but with the span reported closed for renovation, confirm access locally, and if it is shut you can still take in the same river views and ceremonies from the ghats and lanes on either bank — the Swarg Ashram quarter remains the single best introduction to devotional Rishikesh.